When Tawnya Ford and Larry Sumpter learned that their 15-year-old daughter, Madelynn, had helped sneak boys into a sleepover party, they gave her a choice of punishment.
“We said you can either go a month without a phone, or two weeks without a phone but we have complete control of your social media,” Ford, 43, told TODAY Parents.
Without hesitating, Madelynn chose option B.
It’s a decision the high school sophomore from Denton, Texas, is beginning to regret. Since the takeover began on November 11, Sumpter has developed a special fondness for the lip sync app TikTok.
In one clip, Sumpter, 43, dances around with his son-in-law in a pair of daisy dukes and a crop top.
Another video shows the father of six channeling Kim Kardashian — complete with a padded behind.
On Instagram, Sumpter is seen gazing at the camera while laying in bed. “Felt cute,” he wrote. “Might delete later.”
Sumpter also has access to Snapchat and has built a big fan base with Madelynn’s classmates, who regularly check for updates.
“After the first day, Madelynn was like, ‘I changed my mind, I choose the one month,’” Ford said, with a laugh. “Larry told her, ‘No. I’m too invested. I have too many ideas. We’re sticking with the two weeks.’ He’s loving it. I think he's gonna make his own TikTok account when this over."
Ford said Madelynn is used to her dad’s antics. The commercial construction manager likes to pick her up dressed as the school mascot with country music blasting and he has no plans to stop.
As Ford told TODAY Parents, “We’re always down to embarrass our kids!"